…I went to see “Back to the Future” at the Skyway Cinemas in Milwaukee.

I remember this vividly because not only was “Back to the Future” unlike any movie I had seen before, but it was also the first movie I ever took a girl to. Sure, my parents dropped us off, but there we were sitting together in the dark! I had a crush on Amy Hill since the first grade and, man, do I remember being nervous; so nervous, in fact, that I decided not to sit directly next to her.

Yeah… that was awkward.

Anyway, it’s hard to believe it but that bit of childhood innocence was twenty-five years ago. Skyway Cinemas is now a church (no shit), Amy Hill is now Amy Hill-Lintner, and I’m… well, bald.

Somehow, the one thing that hasn’t changed in the past twenty-five years is “Back to the Future.” It still holds up as a great movie, and a group of folks here in L.A. have decided to celebrate both the film and its anniversary with an event this November.

The event, titled “We’re Going Back,” will be held in Burbank from November 5th thru the 12th (the dates that Marty goes back to in the film). In addition to numerous celebrities being on hand for the event, attendees will have the opportunity to recreate Marty’s week in 1955 as they visit various shooting locations from the film.

The best part? All proceeds from the event go to Team Fox for Parkinson’s Research. You can buy tickets for the entire week or for individual events, so click here to learn more and purchase tickets.

“To be honest, I think that being physically beautiful does get you ahead in the world. When you look at mass murderers that are on trial for killing thousands of people, it’s hard for a society to convict somebody who’s really attractive.”

One week ago today a rainstorm ravaged my beloved hometown of Milwaukee. For the most part, the city emerged from the storm with only a few minor bumps and bruises, but a small pocket of Milwaukee took the brunt of the rain. Massive flooding followed.

Here’s a video of that small pocket after only an hour and a half of rain.

That stretch of street is a short distance from the house of my good friends Tim and Jess. You may know them of Teecycle fame.

Fortunately, Tim, Jess, their newborn baby Clara, and their dog Bella weren’t home when the storm hit. Unfortunately, when they returned to their house the next day they found it flooded. You can read the entire story and see photos of the damage here.

Their house is, both figuratively and literally, a wash. Of course, like most people who were affected by the flood, Tim and Jess didn’t have flood insurance. This means they’re pretty much screwed.

I know times are tough and everyone is poor right now, but if you know Tim and Jess (or, hell, if you just want to do something nice for a fellow human being) please consider donating something to help them get back on their feet. Direct donations can be made via PayPal to the account timcigelske@yahoo.com.

Teecycle is also still up and running and every little bit helps, so if you’d rather support them and get a t-shirt in the process, check out their store.

…is giving $500,000 to numerous schools across America. The school my mom teaches at, Burdick Elementary, is trying to rally a few votes in their favor.

The campaign, called Kohl’s Cares, is run through Facebook. Users can vote (up to five times per institution) for different schools. The schools with the most votes will receive $500,000. It’s that simple.

To learn more about Kohl’s Cares, click here. And, if so inclined, please cast a few votes for Burdick Elementary in Milwaukee, Wisconsin while you’re there.

Since then, I’ve been slowly trying to whittle down what’s left in my US Bank checking account, hoping that I could just spend it down to zero and avoid having to go in and close the account in person.

No such luck. As it turns out, you have to go in to close the account, mostly so they can try and talk you out of leaving. So today I finally bit the bullet and went into a branch office to take out whatever small amount I had left in my checking.